Sabasports Match Preview
Europa League Qualification：Molde vs Cercle Brugge
Kickoff Time: 2024-08-09 01:00 (HKT)
Source: USA TODAY Sports/Daniel Bartel
Molde is a strong team from the Norwegian Eliteserien and a regular participant in European competitions. The team has rich experience in European competitions. In the last qualifying round, Molde eliminated Silkeborg with a total score of 5-4 over two legs. However, Molde’s recent form has been inconsistent, and the team’s defensive quality still needs improvement. In their recent 5 matches, Molde has only achieved 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses, which is largely attributed to their weak away performances. The good news is that after two consecutive away games, Molde is finally returning to their home ground. Molde’s home performances have always been very stable, with the team achieving 3 wins and 1 loss in their last 4 home matches, scoring a total of 10 goals and conceding 4 goals, with 2 clean sheets, showing a remarkable performance.
Cercle Brugge is a strong team from the Belgian Pro League, with their strength continuously increasing in recent years and securing a spot in the Europa League qualifiers last season. However, in terms of overall strength, Cercle Brugge is not outstanding, and the team has relatively little experience in European competitions. In the last qualifying round, Cercle Brugge eliminated Kilmarnock with a total score of 2-1 over two legs. However, Cercle Brugge’s recent form has also been poor, with only 1 win, 1 draw, and 3 losses in their last 5 matches, scoring 3 goals and conceding 7 goals, showing poor performance on both ends of the field. Additionally, Cercle Brugge is known for struggling in away matches, with only 3 draws and 2 losses in their last 5 away games, making it difficult for them to secure a victory.
Both teams have not been performing as well as desired recently, but overall, Molde seems to have a slight edge over Cercle Brugge in terms of strength. Furthermore, Molde has a strong home record, while Cercle Brugge struggles in away matches. In light of these factors, Molde, with the advantage of playing at home, appears to have a better chance of winning.
Molde’s Last 5 Games: LLWLD
24-08-02 Silkeborg 3-2 Molde
24-07-29 Viking 1-0 Molde
24-07-26 Molde 3-1 Silkeborg
24-07-21 Molde 2-3 KFUM Oslo
24-07-13 Fredrikstad 0-0 Molde
Cercle Brugge’s Last 5 Games: LWLDL
24-08-04 Cercle Brugge 1-2 Kortrijk
24-08-02 Cercle Brugge 1-0 Kilmarnock
24-07-29 Westerlo 3-0 Cercle Brugge
24-07-26 Kilmarnock 1-1 Cercle Brugge
24-07-20 Feyenoord 1-0 Cercle Brugge
Prediction: Molde to win